It had been a long time since I had gone away with the family, so when the idea of a trip to Cornwall came up with my mum, stepdad Jeremy, sister Renz and brother-in-law Aidan, I was completely on board. When it came to picking the cottage, it was serious business, with several options listed until we whittled it down to a fairly difficult decision between two. One boasted a terrace with coastal views and was a huge selling point to me, but ultimately, our final choice to stay in the cosy, tucked away Cobbledicks Cottage was absolutely the way to go.

A British holiday any time of the year is always a gamble. After all there was the time that I got drenched with rain on an open top bus, while up in Cumbria a few Junes ago. Even riskier still is a September getaway. While the unpredictable weather did make our planning days out a little challenging, it didn’t entirely dampen our spirits. A memorable day it was and at least we had the beautiful cottage to relax in after.

Many trips were made to various seaside towns, all with their unique charm, but I do have to say the cottage may well have been the highlight for me. It is not that I’m a hermit who would prefer to be indoors, more that the cottage was the perfect base to chill out in on those days where we could only put up with so much rain. Perhaps on a sunnier week my favour would have leant more towards longer days in the towns, but I have to say there was just something so simply magic about Cobbledicks Cottage.

Upon arrival we entered directly into the dining area, a beautiful space at the very center of the cottage that was the hub of all activity. We ate dinner there each night, which included a big old wholesome roast after a lazy Sunday. This suitably followed our fun night in of drinking on the Saturday night, where we introduced the parents to a much-loved drinking game, Ring of Fire. Eyes were opened to all our uni antics, and it was all just a big old giggle. To the left of the dining area, you walk through a cloakroom corridor into the converted barn living room. One of two sitting rooms, which hosted more games and evening hang outs, looking out on to the stream across the road. Back through to the dining area was a mezzanine bedroom with en-suite which my mum and Jeremy occupied.

Continuing through to the right of the house was a kitchen fitted with a great beast of an oven, and the second living room aptly named ‘The Snug’. This one was a little smaller and kitted out with books and coal fire (not that we used it). This generally tended to be the more cosy chill out room, where we would do a puzzle, read our books and just generally take everything in.  Of course, the quality family time in this cottage added to its magic, but when you’re used to your own space, it is also important to have the space to relax and unwind alone. The cottage really had it all, the space to bring us together, but also to give us respite when our social batteries were running on empty. Having the option of two living spaces meant we got just that without having to coop up our respective bedrooms. Not that I would have minded staying in the bedroom either. Funnily enough, being the only one not sharing a bed, I ended up with the biggest one, purely down to it being in the smaller of the remaining bedrooms. I think one night I even ended up sleeping horizontal across the bed, it was just so comfy.

Enough about the cottage, let’s get back to those seaside towns. The first one we ventured to was Looe, where we were quickly forced into a pub away from the rain, enjoying a pint or two while we figured out what to do beside getting a pasty for lunch. As we walked through the town, we found Sarah’s, a gorgeous cake shop, where we were each treated to a huge slice of cake. Renz especially got lucky with her absolute wedge of Oreo chocolate cake which was more or less the size of her head.

Looe is a lovely quaint little town with many shops and although we only stopped off for pasties and cake, I did spot a variety of restaurants around for any mood, be it pub grub, fish and chips or thai cuisine. In a completely different light, while taking a stroll we found ourselves in a gift shop where a fake poo with eyes was bought unbeknownst to mum and Jeremy, setting off a myriad of “hide the poo” games back at the cottage. We’re all just big children at heart really.

The second day saw us venture out to Tintagel Castle. Let’s just say that our wet and windy day was far more memorable than I imagine a clear day would have been. It might still have been beautiful on a sunny day, but there was something pretty epic about watching the waves crash under the moody clouds. Then there was crossing that bridge just as a bit of a storm struck. I am still wondering how the lady in kitten heels faired that day, because all of us and our sandwiches got well and truly soaked. Looking back, there could perhaps have been some more consideration of the fact that the site had been closed just the day before due to heavy wind and rain, before we made our plans for that day. While I did enjoy some of the dramatics of the weather, it would have been nice to have spent a little more time out in Tintagel. Alas, dripping wet from the rain, we all just fancied a quick hot drink, and drove back to the cottage to dry off and warm up. Still, the castle grounds themselves were really something to behold, and we were still treated with some fleeting moments of sunshine.

The following day we visited Bodmin Prison. Ironically this day spent indoors may well have been the nicest day of the whole week. We went on the 4D ghost tour, hearing stories of the past and getting a glimpse of the old cells and punishment devices including the hanging pit. Making the most of the weather we then spent the afternoon in Padstow, enjoying some lush ice cream and also buying some local fudge. As the others had bought pasties at Bodmin, we didn’t really stop anywhere for food but again, plenty of options around, especially for the traditional fish and chips.

Later that evening we enjoyed an array of booze and snacks with each of us bringing a platter of food of a certain colour. Maybe we overdid it, but at least we had snacks to see us through the rest of the holiday. We had also agreed beforehand to do a secret pyjama exchange, although the memo for them to be funny might have got lost on most of us. I think Aidan might have been the only one who fully committed to the bit, getting my mum the “only here to sniff chairs” monstrosity, and it was plain to see that Renz purely got Aidan a set that she could then keep for herself after. Not that I’m complaining, I had my eye on the Nightmare Before Christmas pyjamas that Jeremy got me for a little while, what a win.

I don’t think we could have timed our lazy day-in any better. Drizzly weather and cloudy skies, it was the perfect backdrop to a day of puzzles and teas in the snug, before the big roast. A good bit of recovery after the drinking the night before, it set us up good and proper for a trip to St Ives on the Monday. Well, I say that. We were absolutely not prepared for the roads in St Ives. Having not done much in the way of research we aimed to do our usual – find the closest car park to everything we wanted to see. This didn’t really work with the tight roads and packed car parks down at the harbour, and the day out was nearly given up on. We persevered and found a bigger car park further out, which offered a bus direct into town for £2 a person each way. It was almost as if it was common knowledge that St Ives was a little bit of a nightmare to get around. I would definitely recommend this option, unless you’re either feeling brave, or have a tiny car that could be ditched more or less anywhere. Despite the rocky start, I found St Ives to be a lovely little town to walk through. After finally arriving down to the harbour, we stopped off for a much-needed drink, before having yet another ice cream. This was probably the most picturesque of all the towns we went to, with its winding roads of boutique shops. I picked up a tin of St Ives Brewery’s That’s My Jam fruited sour from John’s Wine Bar and Bottle Shop, as well as a miniature Crusty Juggler rum as a gift for my dad. Can confirm the sour was absolutely my jam, I saved it for after the holiday as a little nod back to the grand old time.

Our final full day saw us venture out to Newquay where we strolled some more, before watching some surfers doing their thing on the waves. It was at this point I realised I had only eaten one whole pasty this whole trip, so who is to say if I even did Cornwall properly. All jokes aside, regardless of whether our days got cut short, it was a lovely trip away with beautiful company. It might have been a while since my last family holiday, but I have to admit that even back at home I don’t always make enough of an effort to see them all together as much as I probably should. After a whole week of it I know not to take it for granted, opening my eyes to so much about the dynamics and the relationships between each of us that I hadn’t really noticed before. We could have been anywhere really, but I sure am grateful for our cosy stay at Cobbledicks Cottage.